Chabot College
Fall 2003
Course Outline for ESL 109
VOCABULARY SKILLS
Catalog Description:
109 - Vocabulary Skills
1 unit
English vocabulary and vocabulary-building skills for increasing language proficiency. 2 hours
laboratory.
Prerequisites Skills:
None
Expected Outcomes for Students:
Upon completion of this course students should be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
identify common stems and affixes;
use a dictionary to find pronunciation, meaning, and usage of unfamiliar words in a given context;
recognize and use common abbreviations;
recognize and use new vocabulary from assigned readings.
Course Content:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Stems and affixes
Dictionary skills
Common abbreviations
Student-generated word lists from assigned readings
Methods of Presentation:
1. Lecture and discussion
2. Group activities
3. Individual assignments
Typical Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
1. Typical Assignments
a. Complete the "Ten Words in Context" exercise on p 82 of "Groundwork for a Better
Vocabulary." Read the sentence in which each word appears and then use the context to choose
the most likely meaning.
b. Complete the exercise "Usage Phrases" on p 28 of the American Heritage English as a Second
Language Dictionary Workbook." Look up each word and use the usage phrase from the
dictionary to answer each question.
2. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
a. Class participation
b. Satisfactory completion of text exercises and homework
c. Quizzes and tests
d. Comprehensive final exam
Textbooks (Typical):
1. The American Heritage ESL Dictionary, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998
2. The American Heritage ESL Dictionary Workbook, Ann Silverman, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1999
3. Groundwork for a Better Vocabulary, Smith, Johnson, and Mohr, Townsend Press, 1998
Special Student Materials:
None
dk 10/3/02 rev 10/31/02 rev 12/16/02
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